Convince Me I Should Visit the Baths on Tortolla

[MrPete]

I keep hearing how nice it is, how it shouldn't be missed, but I'm also hearing about a stress factor due to the amount of time to get over to Virgin Gorda to see them.

 

A comparison please.....

 

What is different about here than the other Virgins, like St. John? Is it the rocks? The caves? Remove the rocks and what is it like? Just a real nice beach? Clear water? White sand?

 

How about having a 60 something year old and a 6 year old in tow? And a wife who will be complaining about a 60 and a 6 year old.....

 

So, IS IT REALLY WORTH THE TRIP?

[tef43]

The Baths are on Virgin Gorda, not Tortola. :rolleyes:

 

To properly see some of the more interesting features the Baths, you have to negotiate a man-made "trail" of sorts. It *can* be a rigorous climb for older persons not used to "active" tours. Some of the passages are quite tight and steep.

[derf5585]

It is at The Baths that Ken would fulfill his lifelong ambition to be a mountain climber

from

http://www.anniebees.com/BVI/BVIPage13.htm

 

A stellar natural attraction

from

http://www.b-v-i.com/baths.htm

[pungo3]

Here is my opinion. I visited the Baths (on Virgin Gorda) during a two week stay on St. Thomas. We did an all day sailboat trip which included the Baths. The view from the top of the mountain, hill, whatever you want to call it, is spectacular but no more so than other islands (like Kauai). The journey down to the beach is steep but not terrible. A 60 year old and 6 year old would do fine. (The trip back up is slightly difficult and you may end up carrrying the 6 year old) Once you are on the beach, you have to walk through caves, where some of the rocks are quite slippery, to get to the best beach. It's a fairly long walk through the rocks (caves) and it was very crowded when we were there. Once you reach the better beach, the water is very clear, there are some pretty fish, the sand is nice. We were there in October and it was very, very hot. Honestly, I would not do this trip again. This is my opinion so take it for what it is worth. I'll gladly answer any specific questions you may have.

[mafig]

I have some questions for those of you who have done the Baths.

 

 

I understand you climb down the path, there is a beach, but the better beach means climbing through/over the rocks. Can you do this carrying your beach towels, etc., in a beach bag? Also, can you use your regular camera for taking pictures going through the rocks or do you think it best to puchase an underwater camera (in other words, how wet do you get during the climbing part?).

:confused:

[pungo3]

When you climb down the path, you are at a small beach which is nice but it's not the best beach. There is a small hut that has a bar and there are a few lockers if you want to lock things up. We left our beach towels in the locker so we wouldn't have to carry thing. You then start the trail that goes through the rocks. It seems like you are in a cave but really, you are walking between huge boulders. There are places where you have to climb over boulders and really need both hands to keep your balance. In our group, one person carried a camera (not a waterproof and it was fine) and the rest of us locked our cameras in the lockers. There are a couple of places where you will definitely want to take photos. One of which you will recognize. It's been used on several commercials and for swimsuit shoots for magazines. When you get to the nicest beach, there is no place to secure your camera or towels. If you want to swim or snorkel, you have to leave them on the beach. Lots of people were doing that and no one was bothering their stuff. I'm glad I've seen it, like I said, but it will not be that interesting for a 6 year old. As long as the 60 year old is in reasonable health, they shouldn't have any problem.

[mafig]

Thank you, Pungo3:)

[PelicanBill]

You did not mention how you would get there... be aware that one way is to take a boat or plane to Virgin Gorda and a taxi to the top of the Baths and walk down to the first beach.

 

The other way is by boat to a mooring, and swim in.

 

Be sure you know which way your proposed tour will be taking you!

 

I was there once, for one hour, and it was not enough to explore this super cool place. I can't wait to go back. A regular camera is doable if you protect it in a water resistant bag while you are moving and be really careful... but a disposable water safe camera will take all the worry away.

[SPICESEA1]

We took a Windjammer criuse (which was great), whose tender took us to shore @ Virgin Gorda, and we rented a car (a 2-3 mile away easy open bus journey) and drove around the island (of course on the wrong side of the road) and it was really really cool. Very hard to get lost, (one road) and we saw goats and chickens, the old copper mine, just beautiful vistas, (there are pretty places to stop) and the plants (huge century/aloe, etc.) were really large and unique. We saw a group of schoolchildren in uniform walking home, it was a really neat trip, all in all, one of my favorites of the entire trip. The baths were exceptional. And not difficult to navigate, in my opinion. A backpack comes in handy here. But coming from someone with not perfect balance, it was fine. I can't say from a six year old's perspective, but we loved it. Was more arid than I would have expected.

[OCruisers]

There's a thread in the Ports of Call section with site for map and TOTAL info that you would probably enjoy:

 

The Baths of Virgin Gorda (click for thread)

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[MrPete]

Certainly did. Thanks!